The Professor’s Guide To Human Connection: Why Being ‘Talked About’ Creates Business Magic

As Oscar Wilde astutely observed, “There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that’s not being talked about.”

In the realm of small business, being talked about for fostering genuine human connections might just be the most powerful marketing strategy you’ve never consciously pursued.

Let me share a tale of two seemingly unrelated scenarios that beautifully illuminate this truth.

When A “Certain” Professor Is MC At A Christmas Party…

Picture, if you will, the Adelaide Business Hub’s Christmas event, held earlier this week.

The room is filled with local business owners and entrepreneurs, each carrying their own measure of that peculiar tension familiar to anyone who’s ever navigated such gatherings. Research tells us this discomfort stems from a cocktail of psychological factors: fear of judgement, situational anxiety, and the resurgence of deeply-rooted social insecurities.

Enter Professor Sebastian Longsword, your MC for the evening, complete with academic regalia and a deliberately theatrical presence.

Here’s where things got interesting – and where savvy event organisers might want to take note. While a traditional MC in a suit can certainly keep proceedings running smoothly, there’s something rather magical about introducing a character into the mix, especially at a festive occasion.

The Professor moved between groups, creating impromptu introductions and weaving connections.

What emerged was what I’ve come to call the “costume effect” – when someone is obviously in character, it paradoxically allows everyone else to drop their carefully constructed professional personas. The presence of someone committed to being deliberately theatrical seems to grant others permission to relax and be themselves.

Throughout the afternoon, conversations flowed more easily, laughter became more frequent, and even the typically mundane business of making announcements took on a fresh energy.

It wasn’t about the Professor being the centre of attention – rather, the character served as a sort of social catalyst, creating shared moments that allowed genuine connections to form naturally.

Coffee, Connection, And The Currency Of Conversation

Meanwhile, on a recent road trip through New South Wales, a different kind of magic was brewing.

In small towns like Urana and Moulamein, what began as simple coffee stops transformed into something far richer – genuine human connections that transcended mere commercial transactions.

Take Michelle from the Urana News Agency, who recently responded to my Google review: “Thank you Stephen, it was a pleasure meeting you! We hope to see you again soon! Maybe you’ll end up MC’ing one of our events on our “tourist” trail! (Love your website!).”

What started as a friendly chat over coffee has blossomed into potential business opportunities. But here’s the crucial point – that wasn’t the goal. The goal was simply being human.

The Business Case For Being Human

While it might seem counterintuitive in our efficiency-obsessed world, investing time in human connection yields remarkable returns.

These aren’t just feel-good moments; they’re the foundation of sustainable business relationships:

1. Trust builds organically when we drop our professional masks and engage authentically
2. Word-of-mouth marketing flows naturally from memorable human interactions
3. Customer loyalty transforms into genuine friendship with mutual benefits
4. Business opportunities emerge organically from authentic connections

Breaking Down The Barriers

For those who find networking events daunting or worry about crossing professional boundaries, remember that social anxiety often stems from:

• Fear of judgement in unfamiliar environments
• Cultural conditioning that values stoicism over connection
• Past experiences that reinforce social hesitation
• The simple human instinct to stay within our comfort zones

The solution isn’t to overcome these barriers but to work with them.

Sometimes, it takes a Professor Longsword to show us that business doesn’t have to be strictly business – it can be playfully human too.

The Greater Good Of Getting Talked About

When Oscar Wilde spoke about being talked about, he couldn’t have imagined how his words would apply to modern business relationships.

Yet here we are, in an age where being talked about for the right reasons – for being genuinely human, for taking time to connect, for bringing joy to ordinary interactions – is perhaps the most valuable currency in business.

Whether you’re running a small café in rural New South Wales or managing a corporate event in Adelaide, remember this: every interaction is an opportunity to create a moment worth talking about. Not through grand gestures or calculated networking strategies, but through simple, genuine human connection.

After all, in a world increasingly mediated by screens and automation, the ability to forge real human connections isn’t just good for business – it’s good for the soul.

And that, dear readers, is something worth being talked about.

Your turn: When was the last time you transformed a transaction into a connection? You could blog about it on your website, or share a story on social media to encourage others (tag Talked About Marketing so we get to see it, too).